Nancy Drew 23: Shadow at the Water's Edge Hints

How do I get into the puzzle box on the front desk?

  • 1 of 10: First, you have to get past the cat.
  • 2 of 10: Once you've tamed Suki, it's time to open the box --
  • 3 of 10: -- which turns out to be a traditional Japanese puzzle box, yikes. Read to the end of this hint for step-by-step directions on doing this.
  • 4 of 10: You'll find a flyer that will help a whole lot at the Matsue train station, draped across the barrier.
  • 5 of 10: This flyer gives you the general concept, gives you the first move, and shows what the box should look like when it's done.
  • 6 of 10: So let's make the first move. Highlight (that is, click on) all four pieces. When they're all lit up, up and down arrows will appear; click on the down arrow to move the entire face of the puzzle down.
  • 7 of 10: When you do this, you'll hear a click, and a little button will pop up on the top of the box. That means you are one move closer to opening the box. (The junior puzzle takes 6 moves to open, and the senior takes 8 moves.)
  • 8 of 10: Now unclick all the pieces and click on each one by itself. Some have arrows, meaning they can be moved, and some don't. Try experimenting.
  • 9 of 10: There really isn't any logic that you can see from the outside with these puzzles. Just keep trying things. Sometimes you'll make a move that pops up a button, and two moves later you're undoing that same move. As long as it doesn't unpop the button, it's good.
  • 10 of 10: In case this isn't working for you, here are the moves that open the box: